Reflecting the company’s commitment to advancing education, BB&T has partnered with Ron Clark Academy (RCA), a highly-acclaimed middle school in Atlanta, to host a “BB&T Sponsored Training Day” once a year for the next five years. As part of that initiative, eighteen teachers in Rutherford County Schools (RCSNC) visited RCA, well-known both nationally and internationally for innovative approaches and student success, on Friday, October 12. BB&T waived the $450 educator training fee that day for 100 educators from schools across North Carolina, including all those attending from RCSNC. Local teachers who visited RCA include:

Throughout the day, visiting educators observed classroom practices, participated in teacher-led workshops, and interacted with RCA students in both academic and social settings. Since reading and literacy are a focal point for BB&T, the experience also included a training opportunity with two RCA master educators in Reading Plus, a differentiated online reading intervention program that integrates comprehension, vocabulary, motivation, and reading efficiency into one personalized, adaptive digital resource. Educators left with an understanding of the program and how to maximize its benefits for their own students.

Reflecting on her day at RCA, Michelle Alcorn observed, “Ron Clark Academy is an amazing place. I left inspired to be and do better every day. Smile. Give people your time and remind them they are important. Keep your expectations high and do not tolerate attitudes and behaviors that are hurdles to success. Then, bring the ‘magic.’ Develop, plan and create magic in the classroom through creative teaching that makes students want to be there learning every day.”
Over the past 10 years, more than 48,000 superintendents, administrators, and teachers from all 50 states and 26 countries have visited RCA to explore best practices for engaging students, promoting academic rigor, and creating a climate and culture that promote student achievement. Commenting on the recent BB&T partnership, RCA cofounder Ron Clark noted, “We’re so thrilled that our friends at BB&T desired to go above and beyond in partnering with us to train educators from my home state of North Carolina.”

With the help of two Ron Clark Academy students, Taylor Wilson (center) prepares to become “Slide Certified”

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The Ron Clark Academy is a private, non-profit middle school and educator training program in Southeast Atlanta that promotes innovation and inspires its students and educators through energetic teaching balanced by a strict code of discipline. The Academy currently relies on outside funding to provide scholarships to students from varying academic and financial backgrounds. For more information, please visit ronclarkacademy.com.